Smoking: Indigenous Australians and Non-indigenous People Essay

Smoking
Smoking is one of the factors that remotely affect the aboriginal health.

• In 2008, approximately half the Indigenous adults (49.9%) were current smokers—more than double the rate of non-Indigenous people who smoked.
Smoking-related cancer is more common in Aboriginal communities than the rest of the population

• Indigenous people in remote areas smoked at higher rates (51%) than those in non-remote areas (46%) in 2008.
At least 40% of the aboriginal population in some aboriginal communities are unaware of quit aids. • More than half of Indigenous mothers (51%) smoked during pregnancy in 2008, and this rate remained relatively stable over the period between 2001 and 2008.
This will affect the baby to be born with poor health conditions and children are more likely to develop chest infections, asthma if adults smoke around them. Their unborn children have an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke when they grow up and face a 10 to 15% higher risk of developing coronary disease as adults

Smoking is the number one cause of chronic conditions and diseases among Aboriginal people and causes 20% of deaths in Aboriginal communities, this is why smoking is one of the factors contributing to poor health status

Why do aboriginal people smoke?

There are so many Aboriginal smokers because
Not informed: Aboriginal people don’t identify tobacco smoking as a health issue.
Anti-smoking campaigns fail to reach Aboriginal people because such campaigns need to be developed at ‘ground level’ for Aboriginal people and by Aboriginal people themselves. Many Aboriginal people don’t watch TV ads or cannot read magazine ads due to poor upbringing education.

Alcohol

Another issue for poor health is alcohol consumption

Compared with non-Indigenous Australians, a higher proportion of Indigenous Australians abstain from both alcohol use and binge drinking. The data show that:

• In 2008, nearly three in ten (29%) Indigenous Australians did not drink in the last 12 months—almost double the rate of non-Indigenous

quite shocking to learn about and experience the horror of racism and how it can affect the health of our Indigenous population in Australia. The Australian Eye, a film by Jane Elliot, although produced in 2001, still had a very important lesson to teach with regards to the deep feelings of despair and hopelessness that the recipient of such appalling treatment can incur. This film divided people into two separate population groups; The Blue Eyes and the Brown Eyes and explored the way that they responded…

Close the Gap
The history of Australia in its aspect of racial-based policies and the relation between the population of European origin and Indigenous Australians people is a complex, controversial, and highly sensitive sphere that does not lend itself to straightforward and unambiguous interpretations. It would be hard to debate the statement that “Australia is both colony and colonizer – both dominant and subordinate. Many old certainties – or myths – are dissolving… and new myths are being…

Not my work I take no credit
Smoking rates in Australia
How many men smoke in Australia?
In 1945 approximately 72% of Australian men smoked. (1)
The rate has been dropping since then.
In 2010 only 16.4% of Australian males (14 years or older) were daily smokers. (2)
The daily smoking rate among males (16 years or older) in NSW was 13.8% in 2010. (3)
How many women smoke in Australia?
In 1945 26% of Australian women smoked. (1)
By 1976 this figure had risen to a peak of 33%…

life a person has remaining at a specified age
This is assuming current mortality patterns remain the same
Most commonly calculated at birth, but also at 30, 65 & 85.
Who uses these measures?
Epidemiological information can be used by a variety of people and agencies, which can assist their decision-making, planning and implementation of health programs and strategies.
Dr’s, NGO’s, government departments, ect, all use this information
Area
Measure
Why
Depo. of Health and Ageing
Mortality and Morbidity…

all past knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal Society.
Aboriginal Spirituality is expressed through the Dreaming, through the land and the people, through the totems, values and kinship systems.
Kinship
Kinship is the system of law that governs the social interaction of Aboriginals on a day-to-day basis. Through Kinship groups, Indigenous Australians are able to maintain a connection to both their land and ancestral beings, as well as identifying each individuals roles and responsibilities…

is 10 years less than their non-indigenous counterparts. This is also way many Aboriginal families live in relative poverty as they burn their money on these useless substances. The quote "Eli can be heard singing 'Onward Christian Soldiers'. He appears, sways drunkenly across the stage," is a prime example of this. However, the Aboriginal people aren't completely to blame for this, they knew not of the side effects of what they were consuming and alcoholism and smoking became a reoccurring part of…

costs include persistent pain and loss of quality of life, possible exclusion from social activities, increased pressure on families to offer support and the emotional toll of chronic illness
Direct community costs include the vast funding of the Australian health care system (which is projected to markedly increase with an ageing and growing population). Most of this supports primary health care and pharmaceuticals, and the nature of chronic illness tends to require high degrees of medical intervention…

use
Injury incidence
Work days lost
* Limitations of Epidemiology:
Statistics do not always show the significant variations in the health status among population subgroups
Might not accurately indicate quality of life in terms of peoples level of distress, impairment, disability or handicap
Cannot provide the whole health picture
Fail to explain ‘why’ health equities persists
Don’t account for health determinants
*
Measures of Epidemiology •
Mortality
Refers to…

According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW, 2011), in 2011, 8114 deaths were caused by lung cancer, where 18.8% were accountable for all cancer related deaths. According to the Australian Government Cancer Australia (2014), the survival rate of five years from diagnosis is less than 14%, however the age-regulated mortality rate in Australia is significantly lower than in Northern America, Northern Europe and Eastern Asia. AIHW (2011) predict in 2020 an estimated 13,640 people will be…

there are over one billion overweight people, and at least 400 million of these are obese. More than 40 million children under the age of 5 were overweight in 2010. An adult (aged 20 or older) who has a BMI, or body mass index, greater or equal to 25 is considered overweight. An adult (aged 20 or older) who has a BMI greater or equal to 30 is considered obese. Obesity affects countries all over the globe, such as Australia, America and India. It affects people of all ages, and of all social classes…

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